


Loaded for Bear

by TheFreakWithTheWings



Series: Mama Bear [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, GFY, Gen, Tatooine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 20:52:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6625846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFreakWithTheWings/pseuds/TheFreakWithTheWings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Padmé and Obi-Wan's first two years on Tatooine were relatively peaceful, but everything changed when Luke and Leia were kidnapped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The first year on Tatooine was the worst.

Padmé had researched how to take care of babies during her pregnancy, so she knew in theory how to take care of Luke and Leia, but theory was a little easier than practice. Obi-Wan had experience with small children from volunteering in the creché, but the Jedi had never taken in many newborns. Neither of them knew very much about how to survive in a desert.

Owen and Beru were a Force-sent blessing.

Even so, they spent most of the first years exhausted and emotionally raw. The shadow of Anakin hung over them, of everything he had done, of how much they had both loved him. 

There wasn’t much room in the Lars’ household, so the Amidala-Kenobi family all slept in one room. There were many sleepless night, both because of the babies and because of their worries and fears of the Empire- of Anakin finding them.

Three months into their exile was the first time either of them heard about Anakin, about how he had defected from the Imperial Army the day he had been appointed Supreme Commander, and how he was now Public Enemy No. 1 in Imperial space.

In the secret depths of her heart, Padmé hoped that her husband had changed, had come back to the light, but she never voiced these hopes to Obi-Wan. She knew how the Jedi felt about the Sith.

Luke and Leia learned to walk during their second year on Tatooine. Obi-Wan also began to watch them even more closely, which made Padmé feel vaguely worried. She didn’t know exactly when Jedi used to begin their training, but she knew she didn’t want her kids to start until they were old enough to choose for themselves. She also knew that they might be forced to learn just to stay safe from the Empire, but she chose not to think about that.

When she confronted him about it though, Obi-Wan just smiled sheepishly behind his beard.

“I’m not sure when Shifters start, well, shifting, so I wanted to be on the lookout,” he explained.

Padmé snorted, unable to hold back all of her laugh. “Don’t worry. They won’t start Changing until after they learn how to talk. Although,” she paused and glanced around, checking to make sure they were alone. “I’m a little worried about what their second forms will be.”

Obi-Wan furrowed his brow in confusion. “Why’s that?”

“Well, the odds are about even that they’ll take after me, but they could also Change into one of Tatooine’s native species. I really don’t want to deal with two baby Krayt dragons,” Padmé admitted.

“Oh. Oh dear, that would be rather difficult, wouldn’t it?” Obi-Wan said.

After their conversation, Obi-Wan disappeared into the desert for two weeks. While he was gone, Padmé realized that she should also tell Owen and Beru about when Luke and Leia would start Changing. They took the news with a stoic, practical calm that all seasoned farmers seemed to possess.

When Obi-Wan returned from his sabbatical, he was able to imitate the animal call of every native animal species on Tatooine, much to the twins’ delight.

“The Krayt dragon call was the hardest one to learn,” Obi-Wan admitted to her one night after the twins had fallen asleep. “The Living Force has never been my strong suit. That was always my Master’s area of expertise.”

“Thank you,” Padmé whispered, wrapping him up in a hug. Obi-Wan stiffened for a moment, still not entirely used to such things, before relaxing. She released him a moment later, but even the small hug seemed to have made him less on edge. 

“Why haven’t you ever asked about what happened on Mustafar?” Obi-Wan asked suddenly.

Padmé shrugged. “I figured you would tell me when you were ready.”

Obi-Wan slowly drew in a deep breathe and then released all at once. “Thank you. I’m not ready yet, but soon.”

Five months later, something happened that made any further stay on Tatooine impossible.

Luke and Leia were kidnapped.

It was on one of their rare visits to Mos Eisley to pick up supplies they desperately needed but couldn’t get elsewhere. Padmé had set them down for a second, and when she looked back, they were gone. At first, she thought they might have just wandered off, so she Changed her nose enough to get a scent. 

The scents of her children were permanently imprinted into her brain, so Padmé picked them out easily despite the strong odors of unwashed bodies and dung that pervaded the streets. What made her immediately dismiss any idea that Luke and Leia had wandered off by themselves was the strong stench of fear that pervaded their scents.

A snarl rumbled up from Padmé’s chest, and she did nothing to suppress it. The beings around her began to smell nervous, and they edged away from her. For a moment, she considered Changing completely and hunting down the scum who had kidnapped her children and ripping them to shreds, but she dismissed the idea. Shifters weren’t looked upon kindly on Tatooine, and she might get shot before she found them. There wasn’t even any time to call Obi-Wan for backup.

Padmé tracked her children through the marketplace, close enough behind their kidnapper that she was able to see the speeder that held them drive away even as she sprinted towards them. Her fury grew to staggering heights when she noticed that the speeder was headed to Jabba’s Palace.

She commed Obi-Wan as she dashed back to her speeder, knowing that she was going to need backup if she wanted to storm Jabba’s Palace.

“Did something go wrong at the market?” he asked as soon as he picked up her comm.

“Someone kidnapped Luke and Leia, and they’re headed to Jabba’s Palace,” Padmé explained curtly.

“I’ll meet you there,” was all Obi-Wan said before he hung up.

Padmé’s face settled into a cold expression. They would pay for taking her children, each and every person who touched a single hair on their heads. There would be no escape for any of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Padmé would have waited for Obi-Wan to show up so that they could storm Jabba’s Palace together, but she could smell her children inside. Their scent was heavy with distress, and so Padmé wasn’t thinking much beyond _Save my children at all costs._

It was actually very easy to get into Jabba’s Palace. The droid at the door had no way of knowing Jabba wasn’t expecting her, and the Gamorreans were too stupid to realize she shouldn’t be allowed in. Bib Fortuna was a bit of a challenge, but he apparently recognized her and so brought her before the Hutt.

“Greetings mighty Jabba,” Padmé said as she bowed. “I have come in search of my children, who were stolen from me.”

Jabba gurgled something to his translator that made the other criminals in the room burst into laughter.

“The mighty Jabba wishes to know why you think he would steal your children, as he has no need for baby humans,” the protocol droid translated.

“I have tracked them here, and I know they are somewhere in this building. Know this, Jabba, if you try to keep my children from me I will destroy you,” she warned, her eyes narrowing. 

Jabba laughed and spat something in Huttese before grabbing a slimy creature and shoving it in his mouth.

The mighty Jabba says that there is a hefty bounty on your head, Senator Amidala, and if you leave now he will not be collecting it in return for your aid in bringing back his son,” the droid translated.

Padmé glared. “I will not leave until I have my children, and if I have to rip this place to the ground then so be it.”

Jabba laughed contemptuously and reached for a lever next to his platform. Too late, Padmé realized she had been standing on a trap door as it opened and dropped her into a pit.

A door on the side of the pit cranked upwards, revealing a rancor, which snarled and lumbered towards her.

On Naboo, the majority of the prey animals were large, large enough that if a stream-bear were to get caught beneath their feet, it would mean death. The bears had evolved to be fast and deadly.

Knowing this, Padmé snarled right back at the rancor and Changed, dropping to all fours.

The rancor reached for her, but Padmé was already behind it, slashing at its legs with her claws. She didn’t need to kill it, just disable it enough that she could get past it. She could smell her children, along with numerous other beings, from the area the rancor had been released from.

The rancor howled and stumbled back, nearly stepping on her. Its claws clipped her side as it wildly swung its arms about. Padmé could smell her own blood, but she forced the pain aside.

She growled at it again, a challenge this time. The rancor was twice as big as she was, but it was also hurt now. It paused for a moment, then screeched and attacked again.

This time when Padmé got behind it, she bit down on its leg, feeling muscles and tendons sever and bones crunch beneath her teeth. She almost gagged at the taste of its flesh and blood.

The rancor fell with a screech, pulling itself away from her. Padmé let it back itself into a corner; she wouldn’t approach it now that it was seriously wounded. Wounded animals were more dangerous, especially if they felt threatened by a predator.

The beings in Jabba’s court booed at her, one of them even throwing a bottle that missed her and hit the rancor. Padmé roared at them, then turned her attention to the tunnel beyond which she could smell her children.

The only obstacle was a heavy metal grate. There were also numerous beings beyond the grate, but she didn’t count them as true obstacles. Padmé was just considering running into the grate full force in order to open it when it was suddenly cranked upwards.

The beings on the other side of the grate backed away from Padmé in babbling panic, several of them reaching for blasters as she stalked towards them. The sudden hum of a lightsaber igniting silenced them.

“I really do wish you’d waited for me, Padmé,” Obi-Wan said casually as he strolled over from the grate lever. “I had to take a back way in, and it wasn’t very pleasant.”

Padmé stared at him, conveying her impatience with a look.

“Right then, I believe the twins are this way,” Obi-Wan gestured down the hall from which Padmé could detect their scent.

Padmé snorted. Her nose was 18 thousand times stronger when she was in her second form; she had already known where to go.

“Hold up, Jedi scum. You’re not going anywhere,” one of the beings, a Trandoshan, declared, pointing his blaster at them and glaring.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow in amusement. “And you’re going to stop me, I suppose.”

“Of course,” the Trandoshan sniffed.

“Your funeral,” Obi-Wan shrugged. Padmé growled lowly; she was getting irritated. Who knew what was happening to Luke and Leia right now! “You see, someone kidnapped her children, and I’m fairly certain she’ll go through all of you if she has to.”

Padmé bared her teeth in a silent snarl and pushed herself up onto her hind legs so that she towered over everyone.

The Trandoshan’s scales rustled softly, and it stepped out of the way, traces of fear evident in its scent.

Padmé dropped back down onto all fours and ran down the hall, all patience gone. Luke and Leia needed her.

“Padmé, wait!” Obi-Wan called after her, but she didn’t listen. They were so close.

The scent trail led her to a locked door. Padmé growled and brought her forepaws up to slam against the door. Something was off in Leia’s scent.

Obi-Wan caught up to her a moment later, his lightsaber still lit.

“Allow me,” he said, gesturing to the door.

Padmé stepped back, and he slowly, carefully cut through the door.


	3. Chapter 3

“Mama!” Luke called from where he leaned against the side of a ten foot long greater Krayt dragon. He clumsily pushed himself to his feet before overbalancing and flopping back into the side of the dragon. 

The dragon chirruped at Padmé, who had rushed into the room when Luke started to fall, shouldering Obi-Wan out of the way.

“Padmé, wait,” Obi-Wan said futily. “Watch out for the dragon.”

Obi-Wan didn’t have the advantages of a stream-bear’s nose; Padmé had known the dragon was Leia’s second form mere seconds after Luke had spoken. It figured Leia would be the first one to Change; she had been the first one to start talking.

“Mama, Leia stuck,” Luke said, patting at his sister’s scaly hide.

Padmé sighed and Changed back into her first form, kneeling down by her daughter’s head. Obi-Wan wordlessly handed her his robe, by now used to giving it to her after she Changed.

“Good job, Leia,” Padmé crooned, running a hand over the top of Leia’s head. “Mama’s really proud of you, sweetheart.”

Leia hummed and shuffled closer to Padmé.

“I know this is kinda scary, Changing for the first time. I got stuck too, did you know that?”

Luke giggled while Leia shook her head.

“I did, but then my Mama told me to remember what it felt like to have fingers and toes. What it felt like to walk on two legs, to have a tiny little nose,” Padmé bopped Leia on the nose. Leia blinked, her eyes crossing as she stared down at her nose. “Do you remember how to talk, Leia?”

Leia blinked and nodded before furrowing her brow in concentration. Her Change was slow and awkward, coming in starts and stops. Her hands and feet shrank down, losing scales and claws until they looked human again. Then her tail and her extra three sets of legs melted back into her body, and her legs became human shaped, although they were still dragon sized. The rest of her scales flowed back under her skin, and her eyes changed to those of a human. The rest of her face followed suit, and then she shrank down completely to her human size. Her hair was the last thing to appear, especially visible from her eyelashes, eyebrows, and scalp.

She burst into tears as soon as it was over, hiccuping sobs that shook her body, which then made Luke start crying too. 

Padmé settled down onto the floor and scooped Leia onto her lap, humming gently as she ran her hand through her daughter’s hair. She wrapped her other arm around Luke, who immediately buried his face in her side.

“It’s okay, dears, Mama’s here now,” Padmé soothed.

Obi-Wan took up a guard position just outside the door, ensuring that she would have the time she needed to calm down the twins. 

Finally, their sobs petered to a stop.

“We need to leave now, so you’re going to have to ride on my back, okay?” Padmé said as she set them down and slipped off Obi-Wan’s robe.

The twins nodded their agreement, Leia rubbing at her eyes while Luke sniffled.

Padmé Changed into her second form and lowered herself to the ground so that the twins could clamber up onto her back. Once she was sure that they were situated, Padmé stood up. Four little hands dug into the fur on Padmé’s back.

Obi-Wan reentered the room long enough to scoop his robe up off the floor. “Shall we?”

Padmé huffed.

They warily walked down the corridor, Obi-Wan taking the lead, his lightsaber in his hand.

“Oh dear,” he muttered when they passed the rancor pit. “It appears the rancor wasn’t too injured to walk. I can only hope we don’t come across it.”

Padmé snorted in agreement. She wouldn’t be able to fight the rancor now, with Luke and Leia on her back. Obi-Wan would probably be able to fight it on his own though.

They discovered the fate of the rancor when they reached Jabba’s throne room. Its corpse was stretched across Jabba’s platform, riddled with blaster burns. Jabba’s corpse was a few yards away, barely even recognizable from the claw and bite marks.

“It’s almost ironic,” Obi-Wan mused. “The rancor spent its life killing people for Jabba’s pleasure, and the last person it killed was Jabba.”

Padmé huffed and headed for the exit. Luke and Leia didn’t need to be around the corpses any longer than absolutely necessary.

The door was hanging wide open, and some sand had already blown inside.

Obi-Wan was carefully securing the twins to his speeder when another pulled up.

“We thought you might need some help,” Owen said, a blaster in his hand. “So Beru sent me on ahead.”

“Thank you, but the situation is completely under control. Although,” Obi-Wan paused delicately. “I do believe a power vacuum has been created, so it may be tense in Mos Eisley for a while.”

Owen narrowed his eyes. “What happened?”

“An unfortunate accident. The rancor got loose, you see. There was nothing we could do to prevent Jabba’s death,” Obi-Wan said.

Padmé snorted. Obi-Wan hadn’t lied. 

She Changed back to her first form and donned Obi-Wan’s robe again before climbing onto the speeder with Luke and Leia. Obi-Wan shared the other speeder with his brother.

They made good time returning to the farm, no Tusken Raiders or surprise Krayt dragons to stall them. It took even less time to pack up all of their belongings. Luke and Leia were sad about having to go, and they promised Owen and Beru that they would come back and visit in a few years. 

It had been almost three years since anyone had seen Anakin, so Padmé felt that it would be safe to leave the planet. Also, there would likely be people looking for them, bounty hunters hired by other Hutts, that would make it dangerous to stay any longer.

By the end of the day, their family was on a ship to Alderaan. It was time for them to leave Tatooine and rejoin the Alliance to Restore the Republic. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next installment will be about Vader, along with a surprise character.


End file.
